HOUSTON RICK
Member
Not a rip on competent service people out there, but as the old commercial goes, "yesterday I couldn't spell mechanic, today I are one (while hammering on a transmission).
Car serviced, tire pressures set wrong
- Thread starter LVSteve
- Start date
misswired
Absent Comrade
WOW.... that is some deep thought on something I spend five minutes doing twice a year
Many (most?) dealerships run each section independently.
Sales may have a killer season, while the body shop starves.
There's no 'sharing of the wealth', each section sinks or swims
on it's own initiative.
And that's why the service guys top off your windshield
washer fluid for $12 (half a quart, when you can buy a gallon
for $1 at Dollar Tree), and replace your new cabin air filter...
C'mon guy, he never said "run the tire at the sidewall
max pressure".
AFA the sidewall max pressure, there is a fudge factor
built into it. The first time I autocrossed, I had
the OEM Continentals. Everybody with my model vehicle
knew those tires, and said "air em up to 60"--even tho
the max sidewall pressure was 55 (or 52, been a while).
They knew from repeated trialing that the tires would
hold up fine, and no one ever had problems driving home
on the interstate (after airing em down) after the meet.
Even aired-up over sidewall max, I had sidewall scuffing
that went halfway from tread to rim...squirmy!
AFA the billions spent in research to select the OEM
tire, I'd bet it has more to do with who'll give the
vehicle mfr the best deal, than anything else, most of
the time. Maybe Lambo, Ferrari...nothing mass produced
is that particular.
I will say the Chevy dealer I bring my vette to never upcharges for anything. He does what I tell him to and no more.
I also know the vette mechanic, he's got certs up the ying yang.? The Chevy Sonic guy doesn't get near the car.
I also know the vette mechanic, he's got certs up the ying yang.? The Chevy Sonic guy doesn't get near the car.
OP
LVSteve
Member
WOW.... that is some deep thought on something I spend five minutes doing twice a year
Well, I have a couple of reasons for thinking more than most. First, we had a well publicized case in the UK where it turned out putting Dunlops instead of the recommended (and expensive) Michelins on a certain breed of hot Ford made the vehicle flat out dangerous. I'm talking paint left 14' up a light pole on a freeway dangerous.
Second, I fitted a set of Goodyears on a BMW 3-series when the OEM Michelins wore out. What could go wrong, it wasn't a Ford.
Turned out the softer sidewalls didn't go well with that model's semi-trailing arm suspension. It wasn't Ford lethal, but it was a relief when another set of Michelins restored order.Squarebutt
Member
I was lucky to find an independent mechanic who spent 20 years at dealer service departments until he couldn't stand it any more and opened his own place. He charges a little over half the dealer rate, does no more than is needed and shows you your old parts when you pick up your vehicle. I do my own oil and filters and we've driven our vehicles to 180-200K miles without a major engine repair for years. Around here the salt finally gets most of them, although my wife's Avalon doesn't have a bit of rust at 18 years and 195K miles. The only time our cars and trucks have been in a dealer service department is for warranty work.
What is it with the guys who set tire pressures in dealerships? ... But still, on a car being serviced in a main dealership with a placard that clearly says 32 front, 36 rear, why are the tires variously inflated to 40-41 all round?
It's simply rank incompetence.
I agree; I seldom get a correctly set tire pressure, always check it myself when I get home.
I think the problem is they do it just like they do with lug nuts - use an air impact wrench.
Nobody gets it right. Not even the tire shops.
I have a 2500 HD pickup. I run 50 psi in the front and 45 psi in the rear when the truck is empty.
I would tell the service writer that when I took my truck in to have the tires rotated and he would put it on the RO.
I'd pull out of the shop and stop in the closest parking lot and check my tires.
80 psi front and rear every time.
I have a 2500 HD pickup. I run 50 psi in the front and 45 psi in the rear when the truck is empty.
I would tell the service writer that when I took my truck in to have the tires rotated and he would put it on the RO.
I'd pull out of the shop and stop in the closest parking lot and check my tires.
80 psi front and rear every time.
OP
LVSteve
Member
Nobody gets it right. Not even the tire shops.
I have a 2500 HD pickup. I run 50 psi in the front and 45 psi in the rear when the truck is empty.
I would tell the service writer that when I took my truck in to have the tires rotated and he would put it on the RO.
I'd pull out of the shop and stop in the closest parking lot and check my tires.
80 psi front and rear every time.
Let me guess, a Ford dealership? Your experience sounds the same as happens to a guy at work.
hemiram
Member
+1. And they just have to change the radio station to the most atrocious punk rock / heavy metal / death rock / rap station known to man.
They always put it either on a country station, or a Christian station here. Neither are my thing.
And they always put too much air into the tires. When I bought the car, new, they had 45 PSI in all 4 tires.
OP
LVSteve
Member
Sure sign the pre-delivery inspection (PDI) wasn't done properly. Cars are typically shipped with the max sidewall number in them to reduce flat spotting during transport. They keep them that way on the lot, too. During the PDI the tires are supposed to be set to the placard numbers. Few dealers do, in my experience.
Last edited:
I have a friend who owns a car dealership and he says that if he could get a guarantee from the people that they would always bring their cars back to his dealership for all of their required service, he could afford to give the new cars away!
I haven't set tire pressure below 36 psi since the bias ply tires of the 70's.
I keep mine about 10% less than the tire manufacturers max. That's always given me the best compromise between handling and tire life with very even wear throughout it's lifetime.
I keep mine about 10% less than the tire manufacturers max. That's always given me the best compromise between handling and tire life with very even wear throughout it's lifetime.
Steve, I would bet your dollars to donuts that 1. The intent was to put 32 pounds all around and that 2. An in-line gauge was faulty and reads 10-12 pounds low.
I was never trying to excuse the error—I suspect they no more looked at the recommendations on the door panel than I have read Rosie O'Donnell's last book.
Jack Flash
Member
Be careful there John!
That's a really old saying.
Most donuts cost more than a buck apiece these days!
Jeff423
US Veteran
Rental Cars
Last fall I had a part time sales job and I had to rent a car almost every week. The first car really felt "squirrley" on the highway. I pulled over the first chance I got and bought a good mechanical pressure gauge. Two tires were correct, one was 10 lbs. low and the other was 15 lbs. low. I got them all corrected and the car drove fine. Next week a similar problem and solution. After that I checked every time and "corrected" more often than not.
The manager said they never checked tire pressure. A true statement in my experience. Unfortunately they were my only option for rental cars.
Last fall I had a part time sales job and I had to rent a car almost every week. The first car really felt "squirrley" on the highway. I pulled over the first chance I got and bought a good mechanical pressure gauge. Two tires were correct, one was 10 lbs. low and the other was 15 lbs. low. I got them all corrected and the car drove fine. Next week a similar problem and solution. After that I checked every time and "corrected" more often than not.
The manager said they never checked tire pressure. A true statement in my experience. Unfortunately they were my only option for rental cars.
OP
LVSteve
Member
I had a similar experience with a rental company here in Vegas. To add to my cup of joy, when I checked the oil there was a single small drop just clingy to the end of the dipstick. The rental companies response was a shrug and a comment that for just tootling around the tourist spots it didn't matter. The truth was that my employer had rented the car for me (big contract) to undertake a 350 mile round trip out into the desert. On hearing that comment, hilarity followed....
Similar threads
